Faced with a drought equivalent to the
one that ravaged the Horn of Africa 15 years ago, the Secretary-General
had appointed Catherine Bertini, Executive Director of the World Food Programme
(WFP), as his Special Envoy on the drought in the region, Carolyn McAskie,
United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator a.i., said at a Headquarters
press briefing this afternoon.

A United Nations aircraft carrying three
UN staff members was fired upon at the Kismayo airport in Somalia this
morning, leading to the suspension of all UN air and ground operations
in the area until further notice, a UN spokesman said today in New York.

DJIBOUTI, March 29 (AFP) - Ministers
from countries belonging to the east African Intergovernmental Authority
on Development (IGAD) have approved Djibouti's peace plan for Somalia,
national radio and television said.

DJIBOUTI, March 27 (AFP) - Ministers
from countries belonging to the east African Intergovernmental Authority
on Development (IGAD) are to meet Monday in Djibouti to discuss the latest
peace plan for Somalia.

The plan, drawn up by Djibouti, provides
for the holding of a national reconcilation conference for Somalia in April,
to put in place a transitional assembly to lead the country, which has
been without a central government since 1991.